brandial 2006: The 10th Workshop on the Semantics and Pragmatics of Dialogue

University of Potsdam, Germany; September 11th-13th 2006

Getting There

This page contains info on getting to Potsdam, to the hotels, and on getting around in Potsdam in general. This is for your information before you arrive here; you will get a public transport map as part of your conference pack.

[ Scroll all the way down for information on how to get to the venue! ]

Getting to Potsdam

Potsdam lies just outside of Berlin, the capital of Germany, and can easily be reached by various means of transport.

By air. Berlin is served by three international airports (Tegel (TXL), Schönefeld (SXF) and Tempelhof (THF)). All major airlines offer flights to Berlin, as do several low-cost airlines. (For low-cost flights to Berlin from within Europe, you can try for example www.skyscanner.net; select "Berlin Any" as destination to get the best deals.) See below for how to get from Berlin to Potsdam.

By train. Berlin and Potsdam can also conveniently be reached by train. There are high-speed connections from many major cities in Europe. Please check www.bahn.de for the best connection for you.

By car. Well, if you're considering coming by car, you probably know the way... For directions to the hotels, please see their websites.

See also here.

From Berlin to Potsdam "Hauptbahnhof"

By train. Take the "Regionalexpress 1" (regional express) from any Berlin Bahnhof (Ostbahnhof, Alexanderplatz, Friedrichstrasse, Hauptbahnhof, Zoo) to "Potsdam Hauptbahnhof" (2.60 Euro).

If you are coming from Airport Tegel, take buses X9 or 109 to "Zoologischer Garten", then see above. (There are other possibilities, please check www.bvg.de, entering "Flughafen Tegel" and "Potsdam Hbf", to find the best connection at your arrival time.) From Berlin-Tempelhof, take the U6 to Friedrichstrasse, then see above. From Airport Schönefeld, you can take the "airport express" train directly to Potsdam Hauptbahnhof. From all airports, it should take about an hour to get to Potsdam Hauptbahnhof.

You can look up the best connection for you arrival time here: www.bahn.de.

Public Transport in Potsdam

Short trips (less than 6 stops) on bus or tram cost 1.10 E, longer trips (zones "Potsdam A B") cost 1.6 E. It could be a good deal to get the "Potsdam Card" for 11.50 E, which is valid for 3 days and gives you free travel on public transport (zones AB, which is enough for the conference) for 3 days. You can get the card at the "S-Bahn Info" in the central station or at the tourist information at "Luisenplatz".

If you plan to stay longer and venture into Berlin while you're here, the 7 day pass (zones Berlin ABC) also covers Potsdam.

From Potsdam "Hauptbahnhof" to the hotels

(Timetables of busses and trams are linked below.)

... to the Kongresshotel: Take trams 91 or X98 from Potsdam central station, to station "Pirschheide" (final stop).

... to the Parkhotel: Take bus 605 or regional express train from Potsdam central station, to station "Park Sanssouci". Leave the station, and then make a turn to go to the other side of the tracks (going under the bridge), then follow the road for 100m and you'll see the hotel. There are also signs that show the way.

... to the Steigenberger: Take trams 91 or X98 from Potsdam central station, to station "Luisenplatz" (which is also where the tourist information is, by the way).

Getting to the Conference Venue

Executive Summary: The venue is the "Audimax" at the Neues Palais Campus of the University, see here for a area map and here for a Campus map (building 8).

... from the Kongresshotel: Take bus 695 to stop "Neues Palais". From there on, see below.

... from the Parkhotel: You can either walk to the station "Bhf Park Sanssouci" and then just up the road "Am neuen Palais" (follows signs to University; there will also be signs to brandial'06). Walking should take you about 10-15 mins. Or you can hop on bus 695, which stops right in front of the hotel, and get out two stops later at "Neues Palais". From there on, see below.

... from the Steigenberger: Either walk right through the park (15-20 mins), or you can take bus 695 from "Luisenplatz Süd" (right in front of the hotel) to "Neues Palais" (which takes about 15 mins, as the bus has to go around the park). From "Neues Palais" to the venue, see below.

... from "Potsdam Hauptbahnhof": Take bus 605 or regional express train from Potsdam central station, to station "Park Sanssouci". Then follow the signs to "Universität".

From bus stop "Neues Palais" to the venue. Short version: follow the signs from the bus stop to the venue. Long version (with pictures!) here.

From Hotels and Venue into the city centre

If you feel like going out in the evening, you could check out the areas around "Luisenplatz" and "Platz der Einheit". The lines connecting venue and hotels to the central station will all stop there.